Reconnaissance and surveillance of potentially hazardous areas are of significant interest to civilian and government agencies alike. While by no means a complete list, hostage and survivor rescue missions, illicit drug raids, reconnaissance, and response to chemical or toxic waste spills are some of the operations that may benefit from a reconnaissance or surveillance component.
While various systems may satisfactorily provide this capability, one promising solution is provided by the use of one or more robotic vehicles. These robotic vehicles may travel into areas deemed unsafe or otherwise unfriendly to humans and relay information back to remote personnel/equipment. While the exact configurations of such vehicles may vary, they typically include at least a body to carry the vehicle's payload/operational components (e.g., communication equipment, power supply, etc.), as well as powered ground-engaging members (e.g., wheels) to propel the vehicle over terrain. Using one or more sensors associated with the body, these robotic vehicles may act as remote and mobile eyes, ears, nose, etc. of a reconnaissance/surveillance system.
While acceptable for many tasks, many conventional robotic systems are ill-suited for covert surveillance due to their relatively large size. That is, many reconnaissance/surveillance activities require covert action and/or movement within small spaces that may not be possible with conventional robotic vehicles.
Accordingly, robotic vehicles intended for covert operations are preferably relatively small. However, as is common with miniaturization, small robotic vehicles may sacrifice ruggedness and durability in order to achieve size and cost restrictions. As a result, such vehicles may be unable to operate under the harsh conditions sometimes accompanying reconnaissance and surveillance missions.